Claire's Terrible, Horribly, No Good, Very Bad Day

I woke up nice and early today, 5:30 am, so I would have plenty of time to get ready for my first day of Pre-Student Teaching. I left my house at 6:40am, and by 7:04 was 7 minutes from the middle school (according to my Google Map). But I couldn't find the street to turn onto. So I kept driving. For twenty minutes. And ended up on the other side of the city. So I turned around and drove back, but it was a maze of one way streets, so I ended up in a different city. Luckily, I was near the freeway so I jumped on and called my good friend Jen, who was already at work so she looked up a map and directed me to the school. Whew! Finally.

I sign in and go up to the teachers room. She asks me my name, then ignores me for the next 15 minutes. I had to ask her questions to get her to talk to me. I ask her if I could go over a read aloud with her next week, she says most people don't do the read aloud until the end of the semester. Then the kids file in and sit down. She doesn't introduce me. She doesn't look in my direction. She completely ignores me. She teaches a history lesson. Her student teacher teaches a language arts lesson. Language arts is what I'm supposed to be observing her teach. I ask if I can read the poem she mentioned in her history lesson next week. She says I can.

I drive to school. I read my articles for class. I eat Subway. I think about my double date that night. At least I have that to look forward to. I go to class. It's okay. Goes by quickly. I check my email. My double date is cancelling...I go to my next class. I'm dripping in sweat. I wish I had brought a change of clothes so I wasn't in my dress pants and sweater vest. I can literally feel the trickle of sweat running down my back. I go to the bathroom and dab a paper towel on my face, it doesn't really do too much to matte out the shine.

I go to class. I'm annoyed that my friend cancelled our date, I was really looking forward to it. I sit through class. We read a quote by Thoreau. It says something about "one and a half wit, and a half wit....a third of a wit." I get confused instantly just trying to figure out if a third goes into one and a half. I'm annoyed with my professor. Well, I suppose I'm annoyed with myself for feeling so stupid and not getting the quote that everyone else is animately discussing.

I drive home. I talk to my boyfriend. He's decided that since we're not double dating anymore he's not going to come out either. I try for two different calls to convince him to still come out. My mom calls. I'm almost in tears about my morning. She suggests that I go see my professor. So I email my professor who's in charge of pre-student teaching. She calls me.

I explain what happened this morning. She says that she's been asking me to meet with the teacher since spring, and that I have to make it work. She says, "Well, you say you're going to the school." I say, "I HAVE been going to the school. Today was my first day, as I was scheduled for Monday's and last Monday was Labor Day. I've been emailing her all summer and she hasn't responded to me, except in the group emails she cc's you on. I've been asking her if I could come in and meet her and go over the curriculum and help set up bulletin boards. I've explained that I work full time and wouldn't be able to come until after August, and she has never once responded to me."

I'm pissed. Who is she to make this out to be my fault?! She sounded so annoyed, like, how do I have the gall to complain about these things?! Well guess what? These are legitimate concerns!! She should not brush me off like she did!! I'm so mad!!! I was hoping that writing would get my anger out and make me feel better, but guess what?

It didn't.